15 common reasons why people quit jobs

Is the work you do on a daily basis challenging enough and does it give you the feeling of fulfillment? Are you happy with the wages and do the relationships with co-workers help you resolve daily issues? If the answer to some of these questions is ‘no’, probably, you’re one of those who are currently considering changing their job.

Although each case is unique, there are a plenty of reasons which cause most of the resignations. In today’s entry, we’ll consider the main reasons why people say ‘I quit’. These reasons are divided into workplace issues (when a person is unhappy about something at work) and private reasons (when the resignation decision isn’t connected with workplace problems).

Workplace deal breakers

Coworkers hard to deal with
Good relationships with co-workers create a great climate for collaboration in a team. If the relations between team members are strained, the job dissatisfaction grows and a person finds it’s easier to quit. Bad relationships affect negatively both confidence and commitment to organization, and even a good salary can’t compensate this disadvantage.

Expectations to work off-time
some managers see nothing wrong about making their employees work extra hours, or even in their day off. Meanwhile, when people are forced to work over 50 hours a week, their productivity falls dramatically. Overwork leads to stress and professional burnout. So, talented professional go to find the better job where their talent will be valued, not exploited.

Boring and unchallenging tasks
of course, every job involves both interesting, challenging tasks and mundane work which is necessary, but brings little to no satisfaction. Good managers combine the two kinds of tasks to keep people satisfied and feeling they do something meaningful and get all the work done in the meanwhile. However, if one of the employees is constantly given unpleasant tasks that don’t let them demonstrate their potential, one day he/she is likely to quit. People spend up to half of their ordinary day getting ready for work, commuting and working, so they need to feel engaged and challenged to stay with the organization.

Boss doesn’t reward good work
what is the reason to be a top performer if nobody even values it? A person who led important project, prepared quality analytics or signed a wealthy client deserves recognition. Recognition may vary depending on his/her needs (bonus, public recognition, day off, etc.); however, if a high-performer doesn’t get rewarded, it can make him look for another boss with another company.

Boss blames for minor mistakes
everyone makes mistakes, that’s a fact. But when the boss blames you publically for everything you’ve done wrong, even the loyal employees will start considering changing the job. Constructive criticism (not in public, of course) helps people correct their mistakes and improve performance, while people who are constantly being blamed simply become uninterested in doing their job well.

Not getting promoted
if two of the co-workers hired a year after you and doing the same amount of work have already been promoted, wouldn’t it make you feel frustrated? If an employee wants a career growth and has been overlooked with a promotion, it will force him change the company to realize his long-term goals.

Lack of proper training
Good companies that care about their employees give them an opportunity to attend trainings at least once a year so they could expand their skill set and get more qualified. At the end, this effort pays off – people grow professionally and this has a positive impact on their performance. On the contrary, companies which neglect their employees’ development face the dissatisfaction and stagnation of their employees and the most perspective talents write a resume and leave their job.

No way up
if the company doesn’t offer opportunities for promotion, or the opportunities offered doesn’t satisfy staff in terms of salary, working conditions, etc., they’ll look to advance their career elsewhere.

No trust and autonomy
hardly any employees who are professional enough to do their job well would like to have a boss who is constantly on the top of them. If the manager tries to control your every move, it only means that he doesn’t trust you and, consequently, he limits your creativity and ability to develop effective solutions on your own.

Lack of flexibility
Discipline on the workplace matters. However, when the behavior of employees is limited by multiple restrictions, people become less engaged in the working process. As stated by this report, employees who are forced to always come on time, not allowed to have short breaks or do some personal tasks, have lower productivity. When people are allowed to manage their time, they use it more effectively.

Low wages/minimal salary rise
Although salary isn’t considered the most important factor for the job satisfaction, feeling that they are underpaid makes people hunt for a new job. However, if the company doesn’t offer bonuses, paid overtime and its average salary is less than the other employers can offer, the most talented employees will leave as soon as they can.

No sense of purpose
To get a fulfillment from their job, people should understand the organization’s mission and be aware of their role in the company. Everyone wants to believe that they are not only selling home furniture, but also changing the world in some way. If the person doesn’t understand his significance within the organization, he doesn’t feel connected and isn’t motivated to work hard.

Corporate culture
There are two major reasons when corporate culture might be a problem – when the management doesn’t take care to build corporate culture and team spirit (i.e. no events, celebrations, activities) or when the corporate culture doesn’t suit the given person (i.e. strict discipline, dress code, etc.). This reason isn’t strong enough to force an employee search for a job straightaway, but when the right opportunity comes by, he’ll leave.

Organization’s instability
Any signs of instability, i.e. mergers and acquisitions, poor sales, reduced work hours make the people stressed and daunted that they can be sacked anytime. That’s when they feel it’s time to edit a resume and start searching for right opportunities.

Personal issues
Sometimes the reason for resignation isn’t connected with the workplace problems. Things like relocation with the spouse, two or three years off to raise children or simply desire to take a gap year also often become the reason why people leave. Here isn’t any problem connected with the employer; it’s the employee that wishes to reorganize his/her life and the job doesn’t fit into the scenario.

Leading career experts recommend that you prepare a resume long before you make a decision to quit. Actually, you should always keep your resume up-to-dated. In case you’re being sacked or decide to leave on your own because of one of the above reasons, you’ll be able to start looking for a new job at once or even before the resignation. Our resume experts can help you update a resume according to the recent standards so you could start job searching process whenever you want.

What was the reason you left your last job? Please share your opinion with us.